For instance, tell me how much you sold your honey for ?" "For twelve roubles per pood." "Ah! Then by those words, madam, you have laid a trifling sin upon your soul; for you did NOT sell the honey for twelve roubles." "By the Lord God I did!" "Well, well! Never mind.

Honey is only honey.

Now, you had collected that stuff, it may be, for a year, and with infinite care and labour.
You had fussed after it, you had trotted to and fro, you had duly frozen out the bees, and you had fed them in the cellar throughout the winter.
But these dead souls of which I speak are quite another matter, for in this case you have put forth no exertions--it was merely God's will that they should leave the world, and thus decrease the personnel of your establishment.

In the former case you received (so you allege) twelve roubles per pood for your labour; but in this case you will receive money for having done nothing at all.

Nor will you receive twelve roubles per item, but FIFTEEN--and roubles not in silver, but roubles in good paper currency." That these powerful inducements would certainly cause the old woman to yield Chichikov had not a doubt.
"True," his hostess replied.